Well Christmas is over. the tree has been put outside to be recycled and I’ve made a real effort to get out. Outside in the fresh air .. it seems to be what gets me through these cold grey days .. that and hot chocolate. It's easy to bunker down in January, the budget is spent and the days are short and grey .. but we live in a country rich in heritage so we challenged ourselves to get out anyway and we went to Kenilworth Castle at the weekend.
It was fabulous, although I do find the buildings with their window’s rather eerie .. like a person with no soul. The windows are vacant and there is a haunted look about it even with three noisy children, husband and puppy! You can see and imagine how magnificent it once was. The medieval fortress of Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire is set in vast grounds perfect for exploring. It is one of the largest historic visitor attractions in the West Midlands and is just one of the most spectacular castle ruins in England.
The ruins are best known as the home of Robert Dudley, the great love of Queen Elizabeth I. Dudley created an ornate palace here to impress his beloved Queen in 1575. There is also a newly re-created Elizabethan Garden, which was lost for over 400 years ..
I loved the Victorian graffiti in the sandstone walls, and we had an amazing day out. Fresh air, some good old fashioned war stories made the perfect winter afternoon out.I’d highly recommend a visit, although I forgot to take a flask. I always take a cake and a flask of hot chocolate, so when we stopped in the café, which was light, airy and clean to order tot chocolate and cakes for the five of us I nearly fainted at paying over £20. It has been years since I’ve bought a drink out and oh boy have a had a reminder of why I take my own. The cakes were average, and the hot chocolate if I am honest was mediocre .. really I should have made my own coco with cardamom and made nice big chocolate cake. It would have been far cheaper and much much tastier!
Lesson learned !
